A World War Two RAF veteran has celebrated his 101st birthday at a Dorset care home.
Arthur ‘Jim’ Freer spent the day at Colten Care’s Newstone House in Sturminster Newton with wife Valerie and close friends from his village of Child Okeford.
The party, which featured musicians Simply Piano, was joined by fellow Newstone House residents and Tony Dee, Chair of the RAF Association’s Sturminster Newton branch.
Born in Northamptonshire in 1925, Jim began his career as a junior draftsman making engine frames for Lancaster bombers.
A wish to fly led to him joining a Royal Canadian Air Force crew as a flight engineer and flying officer stationed in Yorkshire, part of RAF Bomber Command.
During the Second World War he flew Halifax bombers, completing 33 operations including on D-Day supporting Canadian troops pushing into the city of Caen.
His service in the liberation was recognised later with France’s highest order of merit, the Légion d’Honneur.
After VE Day in 1945, Jim was posted to the Far East as a signals officer and crewed freight aircraft for the RAF postal service.
Returning to Britain, he rejoined his old engineering company, which had relocated to Maidenhead, and rose to the role of production director.
He later worked for Cobham Engineering in Wimborne, eventually retiring to Child Okeford.
Last year, his centenary, he was invited to light Sturminster Newton’s official VE Day 80th anniversary beacon.
Asked what he credits his longevity to, Jim said: “A combination of good DNA and luck. To attain the age of 101 is unimaginable as the probability of me reaching my 19th birthday looked very slim at one point. Bomber crews had very high casualty rates.”
Companionship Team Leader Kate Seck said: “Jim has seen many events and changes in his lifetime. We enjoyed looking at some of the major events of the last century and trying to recall exactly when they happened. This kept the conversation flowing well up to suppertime.”
April King, Home Manager at Newstone House, said: “It is a pleasure and a privilege to care for Jim. He is a kind, thoughtful man who fully deserves the continuing appreciation he receives for having risked his life so many times during the war. It is only because of Jim and people like him that we have the freedom we enjoy today.”
